ECW Series: “The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson” by Chris Mackowski and Kristopher D. White

“With deep grief, the commanding general announces to the army the death of Lt. Gen. T. J. Jackson, who expired on the 10th inst, at 3:15 PM. The daring, skill, and energy of this great and good soldier, by the decree of an all-wise Providence, are now lost to us.”
— Gen. Robert E. Lee

The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson
by Chris Mackowski and Kristopher D. White

“These two fine historians have put this enduring tale in context with history, romance, legend, and the legacy of the Lost Cause . . . [using] an impressive array of primary and secondary source materials. Their interpretation of Stonewall Jackson’s last days . . . is fair-minded, balanced, and revealing. Readers, whether Jackson scholars or those learning about the general for the first time, will find this study both illuminating and entertaining.” — Frank O’Reilly

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May 1863. The Civil War was in its third spring, and Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas Jonathan Jackson stood at the peak of his fame. He had arisen from obscurity to become “Old Stonewall,” adored across the South and feared and respected throughout the North. On the night of May 2, however, just hours after Jackson executed the most audacious maneuver of his career and delivered a crushing blow against an unsuspecting Union army at Chancellorsville, disaster struck.

The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson recounts the events of that fateful night—considered one of the most pivotal moments of the war—and the tense vigil that ensued as Jackson struggled with a foe even he could not defeat. From Guinea Station, where Jackson crosses the river to rest under the shade of the trees, the story follows Jackson’s funeral and burial, the strange story of his amputated arm, and the creation and restoration of the building where he died (now known as the Stonewall Jackson Shrine). This newly revised and expanded second edition features more than 50 pages of fresh material, including almost 200 illustrations, maps, and eye-catching photos.

New appendices allow readers to walk in Jackson’s prewar footsteps through his adopted hometown of Lexington, Virginia; consider the ways Jackson’s memory has been preserved through monuments, memorials, and myths; and explore the misconceptions behind the Civil War’s great What-If: “What if Stonewall had survived his wounds?”

With the engaging prose of master storytellers, Chris Mackowski and Kristopher White make The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson a must-read for Civil War novices and buffs alike.

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The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson also includes:

A foreword by Frank O’Reilly

Appendix A: Timeline of the Chandler Office Building

Appendix B: Timeline of the Life of Stonewall Jackson

Appendix C: Before He Was Stonewall: The Lexington Days of Thomas J. Jackson by Steph Mackowski

About the Authors: Chris Mackowski is a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, New York, and works with the National Park Service at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Kristopher D. White is a historian for the Penn-Trafford Recreation Board, served as a staff military historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, and is a former Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg. Mackowski and White have co-authored several books, including Chancellorsville’s Forgotten Front: The Battles of Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church, May 3, 1863 and Simply Murder: The Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, and co-founded the blog Emerging Civil War, which can be read at www.emergingcivilwar.com.